Mental health therapist demographics and statistics in the US
Mental health therapist demographics research summary. Zippia estimates mental health therapist demographics and statistics in the United States by using a database of 30 million profiles. Our mental health therapist estimates are verified against BLS, Census, and current job openings data for accuracy. Zippia's data science team found the following key facts about mental health therapists after extensive research and analysis:
- There are over 193,994 mental health therapists currently employed in the United States.
- 76.7% of all mental health therapists are women, while 23.3% are men.
- The average mental health therapist age is 44 years old.
- The most common ethnicity of mental health therapists is White (74.2%), followed by Black or African American (7.9%), Hispanic or Latino (7.9%) and Unknown (6.2%).
- In 2022, women earned 102% of what men earned.
- 15% of all mental health therapists are LGBT.
- Mental health therapists are 77% more likely to work at private companies in comparison to government companies.
On this page
Mental health therapist demographics by:
Mental health therapist gender statistics
76.7% of mental health therapists are women and 23.3% of mental health therapists are men.
- Female, 76.7%
- Male, 23.3%
Mental health therapist gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Female | 76.7% |
| Male | 23.3% |
Mental health therapist gender pay gap
Women earn $1.02 for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$48,468
Female income
$49,536
Mental health therapist related jobs gender ratio
We compared mental health therapists with similar job titles to see how gender ratios vary. As you can see, public health worker and rehabilitation engineer have the biggest gender ratio gaps.
| Job title | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Breastfeeding Educator | 2% | 98% |
| Certified Lactation Counselor | 3% | 97% |
| Lactation Specialist | 5% | 95% |
| Mental Health Therapist | 23% | 77% |
| Donation Worker | 70% | 30% |
| Rehabilitation Engineer | 70% | 30% |
| Public Health Worker | 81% | 19% |
Male
Female
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Mental health therapist demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among mental health therapists is White, which makes up 74.2% of all mental health therapists. Comparatively, 7.9% of mental health therapists are Black or African American and 7.9% of mental health therapists are Hispanic or Latino.
- White, 74.2%
- Black or African American, 7.9%
- Hispanic or Latino, 7.9%
- Unknown, 6.2%
- Asian, 3.1%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
Mental health therapist race
| Mental health therapist race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 74.2% |
| Black or African American | 7.9% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 7.9% |
| Unknown | 6.2% |
| Asian | 3.1% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
Mental health therapist wage gap by race
According to our data, black or african american mental health therapists have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. White mental health therapists have the lowest average salary at $45,187.
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $47,474 |
| White | $45,187 |
| Black or African American | $50,837 |
| Asian | $49,092 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $49,961 |
Average mental health therapist age
See how the average age of mental health therapists varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
Mental health therapist age by race and gender
| Race | Male age | Female age |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 40 | |
| White | 41.5 | 43 |
| Black or African American | 51 | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 40.5 |
Mental health therapist age breakdown
The average age of mental health therapists is 40+ years years old, representing 61% of the mental health therapist population.
Mental health therapist age breakdown
| Mental Health Therapist Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 61% |
| 30-40 years | 29% |
| 20-30 years | 10% |
Mental health therapist educational attainment
The most common degree for mental health therapists is master's degree, with 49% of mental health therapists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 44% and bachelor's degree degree at 4%.
- Master's, 49%
- Bachelor's, 44%
- Associate, 4%
- Doctorate, 2%
- Other Degrees, 1%
Mental health therapists by degree level
| Mental health therapist degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Master's | 49% |
| Bachelor's | 44% |
| Associate | 4% |
| Doctorate | 2% |
| Other Degrees | 1% |
Mental health therapist jobs you might like
Mental health therapist wage gap by degree level
| Education | Salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $55,039 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $45,118 |
Mental health therapist employment statistics
Most mental health therapists work for a private in the health care industry.
Company size where mental health therapists work
Below, you can see the size of companies where mental health therapists work.
Mental health therapist jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 7% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 25% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 37% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 14% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 11% |
| > 10,000 employees | 6% |
Mental health therapist jobs by company type
Employees with the mental health therapist job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most mental health therapists prefer to work at private companies over government companies.
Mental health therapist jobs by sector
| Company type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 7% |
| Public | 5% |
| Private | 77% |
| Government | 11% |
Mental health therapist jobs by industry
The most common industries for mental health therapists are health care, non profits and professional.
Mental health therapist industry statistics
| Industry | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Health Care | 53% |
| Non Profits | 15% |
| Professional | 9% |
| Government | 5% |
| Pharmaceutical | 4% |
| Education | 4% |
| Finance | 2% |
| Media | 1% |
| Start-up | 1% |
| Hospitality | 1% |
| Fortune 500 | 1% |
| Internet | 1% |
| Retail | 1% |
| Manufacturing | 1% |
| Technology | 1% |
Mental health therapist turnover and employment statistics
Average mental health therapist tenure
The average mental health therapist stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 8,085 mental health therapists resumes in Zippia's database.
Mental health therapist tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 19% |
| 1-2 years | 34% |
| 3-4 years | 14% |
| 5-7 years | 18% |
| 8-10 years | 7% |
| 11+ years | 8% |
Mental health therapist LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of mental health therapists that are members of the LGBT community. You can see how this compares to similar jobs in the chart below.
| Job title | LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Sexual Assault Counselor | 8.96% | 75,374 |
| Treatment Specialist | 9.50% | 67,604 |
| Education Counselor | 10.75% | 40,323 |
| Monk | 11.25% | 46 |
| Volunteer | 11.48% | 9,583 |
| Phone Counselor | 15.06% | 75,943 |
| Mental Health Therapist | 15.06% | - |
Similar mental health therapist jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Sexual Assault Counselor | 8.96% | 75,374 |
| Treatment Specialist | 9.50% | 67,604 |
| Education Counselor | 10.75% | 40,323 |
| Monk | 11.25% | 46 |
| Volunteer | 11.48% | 9,583 |
| Phone Counselor | 15.06% | 75,943 |
Foreign languages spoken by mental health therapists
The most common foreign language among mental health therapists is Spanish at 74.2%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is Portuguese at 4.3% and French is the third-most popular at 4.0%.
- Spanish, 74.2%
- Portuguese, 4.3%
- French, 4.0%
- Chinese, 2.1%
- Mandarin, 2.1%
- Other, 13.3%
Mental health therapist languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 74.2% |
| Portuguese | 4.3% |
| French | 4.0% |
| Chinese | 2.1% |
| Mandarin | 2.1% |
| Other | 13.3% |
